Connector for a compressed-gas canister and a fastening appliance

ABSTRACT

Connector for a male ejection end-piece ( 16 ) of a compressed-gas canister ( 1 ) intended to supply compressed gas to a fastening appliance that runs on compressed gas and a male inlet end-piece ( 4 ) of a device ( 2 ) for letting compressed gas into the appliance, comprising sealing means ( 3 ) for accommodating the two male end-pieces ( 16, 4 ) and intended to seal the connection between the two end-pieces along cylindrical sealing surface portions ( 34, 35 ).  
     The sealing means ( 3 ) are designed ( 33 ) also to offer sealing surface portions ( 36, 37 ) extending more or less at right angles to the axis ( 8 ) of the cylindrical sealing surface portions ( 34, 35 ).

[0001] The invention relates to a connector for, on the one hand, a male ejection end-piece of a compressed-gas canister intended to supply compressed gas to a fastening appliance that runs on compressed gas and, on the other hand, a male inlet end-piece of a device for letting compressed gas into the appliance, comprising sealing means designed to accommodate the two male end-pieces and intended to seal the connection between the two end-pieces along cylindrical sealing surface portions extending on each side of the ends of the two male end-pieces.

[0002] A “fastening appliance” is to be understood as meaning an appliance for driving fasteners such as nails.

[0003] FR-2 771 796 teaches such a connector. More specifically, with this connector, in operation, the ends of two male end-pieces are butted one against the other in a plane where they meet, a sealing sleeve extending on each side of this meeting plane and surrounding the ends of the two male end-pieces with, in the sleeve, an internal groove for retaining leakage gas, extending between cylindrical surface portions. These sealing surface portions may prove insufficient. Furthermore, the butting-together, via the ends of their end-pieces, of the canister and of the inlet solenoid of the fastening appliance, may be the cause of a certain amount of wear on the solenoid.

[0004] The present invention aims to perfect the connector of the prior art.

[0005] To this end, the invention relates to a connector of the type mentioned hereinabove, characterized in that the sealing means are designed also to offer sealing surface portions extending more or less at right angles to the axis of the cylindrical sealing surface portions.

[0006] By virtue of the invention, the male end-pieces can no longer be butted together directly, but via sealing means that may be qualified as radial.

[0007] In an advantageous embodiment of the connector of the invention, there is an annular and transverse seal intended to be housed in two grooves formed in the end surfaces of the two male end-pieces.

[0008] However, as a preference, the sealing means comprise a double female sleeve for accommodating the two male end-pieces, with an annular and transverse sealing partition in the middle intended to be interposed between the two end-pieces.

[0009] The invention will be better understood with the aid of the following description of the connector, with reference to the appended drawing in which:

[0010]FIG. 1 is an exploded sectional view of a compressed-gas canister and of a gas inlet solenoid of a fastening appliance that runs on compressed gas;

[0011]FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the canister and of the solenoid of FIG. 1 with their end-pieces inserted into the sealing connector;

[0012]FIG. 3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2, but in the state of transferring gas from the cartridge to the appliance, and

[0013]FIG. 4 is an overall view of the solenoid mounted on the canister.

[0014] With reference to FIG. 4, a compressed-gas canister 1 is mounted on the compressed-gas inlet solenoid 2 of an appliance for driving fasteners, of the nail type, via a sealing connector 3.

[0015] The inlet solenoid 2 comprises a male inlet end-piece 4 extending axially—along the axis 8—projecting from the bottom 5 of a bowl 6, formed by an annular skirt 7 for accommodating the connector 3. The end 9 of the inlet end-piece 4 of the solenoid is set back from the annular edge 10 of the skirt 7. The compressed-gas canister 1 comprises a cylindrical casing 11 ending in an annular bulge 12 forming a bowl 13 from the centre of which an ejection base 14 projects, this base nonetheless being set back from the annular edge 15 of the bulge 12.

[0016] An ejection end-piece 16 is mounted in the ejection base 14, to slide against the action of a return spring 17. The end-piece 16 comprises an external tubular part 18 projecting from the ejection base 14 and extended by an internal solid part 19 acting as a valve. The valve 19 is mounted to slide in a cylinder 20. The return spring 17 is housed inside the cylinder 20, around the valve part 19 of the ejection end-piece 16, bearing against an annular rim 21 of the valve 19 of a diameter roughly equal to that of the cylinder 20 but nonetheless very slightly smaller so that compressed gas can escape between the cylinder 20 and this rim 21. At rest, the rim 21 of the valve 19 bears against an annular seal 22 housed in an annular shoulder of the cylinder 20.

[0017] The connector 3, in section, has the shape of an H; the connector 3 thus comprises two female sleeves 31, 32, open in opposite directions, separated by an annular and transverse end partition 33 in the middle of the connector.

[0018] The sleeve 31 is intended to accommodate the inlet end-piece 4 of the solenoid 2 of the appliance, and the sleeve 32 is intended to receive the ejection end-piece 16 of the compressed-gas canister 1.

[0019] The two interior walls 34, 35 of the two sleeves 31, 32 respectively constitute cylindrical sealing surface portions which, in operation (FIGS. 2, 3) extend on each side of the ends 9 and 23 of the two end-pieces 4 and 16 respectively.

[0020] More specifically, and still in operation, the ends 9 and 23 of the end-pieces 4 and 16 come into abutment against the two annular transverse walls 36, 37 of the radial partition 33 of the connector 3, opposite one another, which therefore run at right angles to the axis 8 of the cylindrical sealing surface portions 34, 35 and which thus constitute sealing surface portions. In operation, the partition 3 is interposed between the two end-pieces 4, 16.

[0021] Still in operation, by virtue of conventional means which have not been depicted, and with the inlet male 4 and ejection 16 end-pieces pushed into the double female connecting sleeve 31, 32, the male ejection end-piece 16 is pushed back by the male inlet end-piece 4 against the action of the return spring 17 to disengage the annular valve rim 21 from the seal 22 and allow the compressed gas to escape from the canister 1 into the solenoid 2 of the fastening appliance. 

1. Connector for, on the one hand, a male ejection end-piece (16) of a compressed-gas canister (1) intended to supply compressed gas to a fastening appliance that runs on compressed gas and, on the other hand, a male inlet end-piece (4) of a device (2) for letting compressed gas into the appliance, comprising sealing means (3) designed to accommodate the two male end-pieces (16, 4) and intended to seal the connection between the two end-pieces along cylindrical sealing surface portions (34, 35) extending on each side of the ends (23, 9) of the two male end-pieces (16, 4), characterized in that the sealing means (3) are designed (33) also to offer sealing surface portions (36, 37) extending more or less at right angles to the axis (8) of the cylindrical sealing surface portions (34, 35).
 2. Connector according to claim 1, in which there is an annular and transverse seal intended to be housed in two grooves formed in the end surfaces of the two male end-pieces (16, 4).
 3. Connector according to either of claims 1 and 2, in which the sealing means comprise a double female sleeve (31, 32) for accommodating the two male end-pieces (4, 16), with an annular and transverse sealing partition (33) in the middle intended to be interposed between the two end-pieces (4, 16). 